The Death of Charlotte Jones
by frogfoot
Summary: Jim has never associated the Interstellar Academy with murder or mystery. But that all changes when he meets a girl named Dilly. Who killed Charlotte Jones? In fact... who was charlotte Jones?
1. Delilah Durns

Hey kids! This is my first fanfic EVER! So be nice to it, no actually screw that. Be truthful and review. Please review so I know if this is worth continuing to write. Just a few things I realized I didn't mention in the story that might be worth you knowing. In this story students attend the interstellar academy for 4 years. They are called 1st years, 2nd years, and so on and so fourth because I couldn't think of anything better and because I didn't want to use the freshman, junior, etc. Terms. Also all students wear uniforms. They do not look like the one Jim wears at the end of the movie. I didn't like that suit. It bothered me. They are like navel uniforms however except the girls wear a skirt with it. I imagine them as blue uniforms but you can imagine them however you want. Also students can only begin school once they are 15. Jim is in his 3rd year so he is 17. However I might make him turn 18 in a later chapter. Oh, and one last thing, weapons class is only offered to 3rd year students. So everyone that is in this story and takes weapons class is in Jim's year.

Disclaimer: Everything mine is mine. Everything Disney is Disney's. So don't sue.

Alrighty, with that said let just get on with it!

&

****

Tap. Tap. Tap. Jim rapped his fingers on the edge of his chair and adjusted his seating position.

Man this place was uncomfortable. It wasn't just the stiff chair he was sitting in; it was the atmosphere of the room.

Jim snickered bitterly to himself. Well what would one expect to feel from sitting in the Head Mistress's office? He obviously wasn't going to be feeling overjoyed, or excited, or even remotely happy seated here.

No, Jim knew better than that. In his gut he knew exactly why he was here. There was only one reason for it.

Oh wouldn't his mother be proud.

"Stop it," Jim said out loud to himself. "Stop it. You're not going to be expelled. It was an accident. A total accident. Could have happened to anyone."

But it happened to him.

Jim tried to distract himself by looking around the room. It wasn't very large, but to him it felt huge. This could have been because of the high ceilings, or maybe because of the color everything was. White.

Why did that color make everything look so big? You could paint a closet white and pass it off as a master bedroom. Okay, maybe not, but whatever.

Jim sighed.

Or maybe the room felt so big because there was almost nothing in it. Just a large ancient looking desk with one chair behind it and two in front.

Jim occupied on of these chairs. The one on the left.

Left. Why had he chosen the one on the left? Why did that matter to him right now? Why was he even thinking about this?

"Because I'm nervous," Jim thought.

Jim sighed again and continued to survey the room.

There really was nothing in it. No pictures, no kick-knacks, not even papers on the desk. Jim was tempted to open one of the drawers. Instead he looked down at the bloodstains on his uniform pants. Then at the dried blood on his hands.

God, he should have been at least allowed to wash up.

"But," Jim said savagely, "that would take away from my lovely time in this room from HELL!"

Jim realized that he had been speaking his thoughts aloud. Well not actually speaking them he though as he listened to "hell" echo through the room. More like yelling them.

Jim glanced around the room once more. He smiled grimly to himself. The room felt empty because he was the only one in it.

&

**Earlier that day.**

"You arrogant bastard," JJ joked, "You'll kill us all!"

Jim grinned and pointed the gun at his friend's face. "No, just you."

The boys looked at eachother and laughed. The guns were only practice ones, and they were unloaded. Well for now.

Jim brought his gun down and continued to clean it out. It was stupid really, to be cleaning out an already clean gun. It really was a waist of time. But it was part of the daily procedures of the class.

"Something wrong dude?" JJ asked.

"Huh?" Jim realized he had stopped cleaning and was glaring at his gun. "Nah," he answered, "Just thinking about how much this class blows. Jim wished he could switch out but knew it was a required course if he wanted to become a captain.

"The teacher's an ass, but this class isn't so bad. You just suck at it," JJ pointed out.

"Aww, common now. Save so of that for behind my back."

JJ flashed him a lopsided smile. His sandy hair flew side to side as he shook his head. Jim and JJ had been friend since their first year when they had been assigned to the same dorm.

At first they had argued about everything. This let them to Jim's first fistfight at the academy. Well, Jim had used his fists. JJ had used the small horns that grew at the top of his head.

At first glanced anyone would think JJ was a human. His spiky hair covered his horns so that you couldn't see them unless you were staring straight down at his head. (This was hard for Jim to do considering they were about the same height)

However, JJ's yellow eyes gave away the fact that he was Garmillian right away.

Anyway, after their brawl Jim and JJ had been forced to serve detention together for two grueling weeks. It was there where the boys had found that they had so much in common and became friends.

In fact it was Jim who had first started calling the Garmey JJ instead of his real name, Jay. It had become a joke between them since JJ's last name was Double.

Jim pushed away the thoughts of his friend and tried to concentrate on his gun. He went to work loading it with Pircer bullets.

Pircer bullets were thin, dart-like little things. They were invented for student use. Built for safety.

You could be shot several times in the chest with Pircer bullets and live to tell the tale. They were made to do minimal damage.

Well in Jim's book that was just fine, considering that his fourth period weapons class was full of 17 and 18 year-olds that couldn't aim for crap. Unfortunately, Jim was one of them.

It was only the second week of school yet he knew this class was going to be a disaster. JJ was right- he did suck at it.

In the evaluation test in the beginning of last week Jim hadn't even been able to hit the targets that were ten feet away. He did however hit several trees and nearly clip the professor.

_That_ had not gone over so well. Now Professor Creed had it out for his blood.

Suddenly the Professor's whistle screeched throughout the range. Jim and Jay groaned.

"Get up ya bums," Creed barked at the students. "I've given you all enough time to invent a new weapon, let alone clean a damn pistol out!"

Jim and JJ stood up and grabbed their now loaded guns. As the walked over to the Professor's inspection line JJ whispered to Jim.

"Ah yes professor! I did in face invent a new sort of weapon. I shall call it the toe of my boot and I shall shove it up your fat ass."

Jim snickered at the joke, but soon wish he hadn't.

"Found something funny did ya, Hawkins?"

Jim looked in front of him to see the infamous professor. He had to drop is neck low just to look at him.

Except for his face (which held a hard, cold sneer), the man wasn't the least bit intimidating. This was because of his height. Jim doubted he was more then 4 feet tall. He was also going bald and was slightly overweight.

He had pale green skin and two extra arms. However, he was missing his left leg. In its place was a large metal contraption.

Jim had met friendlier cyborgs.

Still, despite his odd appearance, the man was threatening as soon as you saw him shoot.

The demonstration he gave the class on the first day of school still made Jim shudder. Four arms, shooting off four pistols, tearing apart hundreds of targets.

Plus there were the rumors Jim had heard about him around school. He was said to have killed over 200 men. Apparently he had once been one of the top snipers in the Interstellar Galactic Army. He had been discharged when he got into some accident and lost his leg.

Yes, Creed was not a man you wanted to cross. Too bad Jim was already on his shit list.

"No," Jim replied calmly. Creed liked to play this game with him. He liked to see how far he could push till Jim lost it.

"No sir," Creed snarled.

Jim caught a whiff of booze coming from Creed's mouth. "No _sir_," He repeated, making sure to put an emphasis on the "sir".

"Is your gun ready Hawkins?"

Jim realized that Creed had been coming down the line inspecting student's weapons. He had just finished checking the bird-like girl's pistol on his right.

"Yeah," Jim mumbled.

"Yes," Creed shouted at him. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to speak boy?"

"I wasn't aware this was an English class, _sir._" The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Out of the corner of his eye Jim saw JJ trying to hold back laughter. Creed, However, looked as though he was going to strangle him.

"Oh I see. You're real funny now aren't you? A regular comedian. What do you think class"- Creed gestured wildly at the students around them- "Mr. Hawkins is quite the funny boy isn't he?" Creed turned his gaze back to Jim. "Aren't you Hawkins?"

Jim bit back his growing anger.

"Gimme that." Creed grabbed at Jim's weapon. "And get the hell outa my-''

Just then Jim's gun let out a round into Creed's natural foot.

"Shit," Jim thought desperately. He had forgotten to cock the safety lever.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Creed dropped the weapon and gasped at his bleeding foot. Jim bent down to try to apply pressure to the wound only to be pulled back up again.

Three of Creed's arms pulled Jim into a sort of stupid looking bow position (it was the only way they could be face to face) while his fourth arm pointed a threatening finger at Jim.

Jim could swear he felt the anger radiating off of him. His cold, black eyes showed nothing but it.

Creed's stale breath puffed into Jim's face. "Oh boyo," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Your in whole 'nother world of trouble now."

&

Jim jumped and spun around in his seat when he heard the door open.

"Mr. James Hawkins?" the Head Mistress Bagdonnas walked gracefully into the room and sat down at her desk.

She was an old woman- probably in her seventies - yet she held an air of youth around her. Her long white hair was tied into a thick braid that cascaded down the back of her canary-yellow robes. The woman was famous for her colorful attire. Since, at the Academy, most teachers wore plain black or dark blue teaching robes.

She was quite tall for a woman. Taller than Jim, who had reached about six foot now. Her smooth features and delicate lines gave him the impression that she must have been very pretty when she was young. Then there were her eyes.

Jim couldn't decide whether they were a pale blue or a light gray. They seemed to change everytime she blinked. They did tell him one thing though, that he could trust her. As soon as he looked into her ever-changing eyes he knew this.

Though he had never spoken to her personally (other than a "good day professor" when she passed in the halls) Jim was calmed by her presence. He had always found her extremely interesting when she addressed them at the beginning and start of terms. Unlike the other professors at the school all students heard her when she spoke. Not because she they were told to quiet down, but because everyone always wanted to hear what she had to say.

Bagdonnas shook her head and chuckled.

Jim just smiled weakly back at her. He realized he was in a very bad situation when he had been sent to the Head's office.

Every other time he had gotten in trouble the teacher had just given him a detention right then and there. In other cases he had been sent to Mr. Gimli's office.

Mr. Gimli was the Ground's Supervisor. Grounds Supervisor was a nice way of saying his job was to make sure the school stayed clean and punish students for breaking rules. It was the worst to have a detention issued by Mr. Gimli.

Jim had been unlucky enough to get a few. He always made you do the most disgusting jobs. Like scraping space warts off the sides off the practice long boats. **(a/n. We see Jim do this in the beginning of I'm still here in the movie)**

But Jim wasn't in Gimli's office. He was in the Head Mistresses. And he was going to be expelled.

"Well Mr. Hawkins, You'll be happy to know that you did know lasting damage to Kurtis's foot.

Kurtis? Jim blinked at the name. He had never heard Creed's first name used before. Somehow he had stupidly assumed Professors didn't have them.

Kurtis. He'd have to remember to tell JJ later. Later...when he went to say goodbye.

"In fact," Bagdonnas continued, "I believe he quite overreacted."

Jim's head shot up. What had she said?

The Professor leaned over the desk so that she was looking directly into Jim's eyes. At this moment her eyes were gray. Blink. No blue.

"Was it or was it not an accident that occurred on the shooting field today?"

"Huh?" Was she taking his side?

"Did you purposely shoot at Professor Creed's foot or not Mr. Hawkins?"

"No," Jim sputtered. "I mean not. I mean... Yes it was an accident."

Bagdonnas leaned back into her chair. Jim noticed a slight twinkle in her gray eyes. No, now they were back to blue.

"Well then, I believe you."

Jim stared. "You...You do?"

"I do."

"Oh. Er... thanks." How was he supposed to reply to that?

"However Mr. Hawkins," she continued, "forgetting to cock the safety lever of a pistol is an elementary mistake, one I would not expect a third year like yourself to make."

Jim would have liked to point out that anyone could make a mistake like that if they had Creed breathing down their neck.

"Professor Creed has informed me that the only way to make you see the error of your ways was to expel you."

So she was going to expel him. Jim had known she would, but he had hoped she wouldn't.

Just then Jim heard a knocking. Bagdonnas took her eyes off of him and looked over at the door.

"Ah yes, Miss Durns. Do come in."

A girl about his age let herself in and stood in the anxiously in the room.

She was at least a head shorter than him and slim. Her hair was curly and a short of reddish-brown, it dipped a few inches below her shoulders.

It looked as though she had tried tying it half up but throughout the day much of her hair had escaped the hold. Many of the lose curls sprung around her cheeks, framing her face.

Jim thought she looked quite pretty.

"You, er, called me here professor?" the girl started.

"Ah, yes, yes. Do please sit down," said Bagdonnas, gesturing to the chair next to Jim.

Jim figured this was the end of his meeting. He nodded to the girl who was settling down in her chair and got up.

"Thank you Professor," he said as she sulked over to the door.

Bagdonnas raised a sculpted eyebrow and smiled once more. "And where are you off to so quickly, Mr. Hawkins?"

Jim turned around and looked at the woman. "To go pack my stuff. Your expelling me aren't you?"

"Actually I'm not. Do sit back down please."

"But you said-

"No I explained what Professor Creed would have me to do in this situation. Fortunately for you, Professor Creed does not hold the power to expel students. That power" – Jim thought he saw that twinkle flash in her eyes once more- "rests with me."

Jim couldn't stop the stupid grin that swept onto his face. He wasn't going to be expelled! He wanted to run over and hug the old woman.

"I believe your current situation calls for guidance rather than reprimand. That's where" she waves a frail hand at the girl on his right, " Miss Durns comes in."

The girl looked up at her confused. Bagdonnas ignored the look and introduced them.

"Mr. Hawkins, this is Delilah Durns. Miss Durns this is James Hawkins, your pupil."

This time the girl, Delilah, raised and eyebrow.

Bagdonnas merely continued. "You are to tutor Mr. Hawkins in the ways of the pistol. He's had some... Difficulty with it in his weapons class. You'll be tutoring him on aim to fire and everything in-between."

She turned to Jim. "Professor Creed has informed me that 'though Durns has an exceptionally dirty mouth, her shooting skills are quite clean,' his words of course, not mine." She added seeing the disgruntled scowl sweep across the girl's face.

Jim was amused to hear her mutter about Creed's dirty breath. Either Bagdonnas didn't hear her or she simply ignored the comment because she turned back to her and continued.

"You were issued a month of detention from Mr. Gimli, yes?"

She nodded.

"Well if you are interested I would like to trade your detentions for tutoring sessions with Mr. Hawkins."

It was Delilah's turn to smile. "So i wouldn't be serving time?" she questioned.

"Correct. Of course failure to attend these...sessions, and I will be forced to put you right back into detention."

"Course."

"The same goes for you Mr. Hawkins. Unless you have a valid excuse your attendance is mandatory. I don't need to tell you how much trouble you could be in right now."

"Yes ma'am."

"Excellent! Then I believe it's settled. You two will be meeting everyday on the shooting range after the last bell."

Just then that very bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day. Jim could here students out in the halls, laughing and rushing out of their last hour class.

Bagdonnas waved a hand at the door. "Best you two get started then."

Understanding they were dismissed the pair thanked the Head Mistress and filed out the door.

"And Mr. Hawkins?" Jim looked at the Professor once more. "I will be sending a letter to your mother informing her of this incident."

Jim nodded. He could deal with that. Mrs. Hawkins wouldn't be happy but he could deal with that. It was better than getting expelled.

Jim turned to the girl as soon as they had left the office. His curiosity had gotten the best of him. "What did you do to get so much detention, umm, Delilah," he added, remembering her name.

Jim saw, fleeting, a look of hesitation on the girl's face. It was gone so quickly though that Jim wondered if he had imagined it.

"Call me Dilly," she said ignoring his question. "Delilah just sounds so...Froo froo."

Jim decided not to push the question again. Perhaps he'd ask her another time. After all they were going to be seeing a lot of each other.

Dilly's eyes rested on Jim's bloodstained uniform, then on his bloody hands.

"Its James is it?"

"Jim."

"Is that Creed's blood?"

"Some of it yeah. Wait. How'd you know about that?"

"The whole school knows. I think they're planning a parade in your honor."

Jim noticed how green her eyes were. They reminded him of someone, he couldn't quite place whom though.

"I, Personally, would like to thank you," she said as they made their way out to the range. That guy is such a bastard. Wish you woulda aimed for between his eyes..."

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the last half an hour Jim grinned. Things hadn't turned out so bad after all...

&

Okay so hoped y'all liked it. I would like to thank spell-check for making this chapter possible.

Now REVEIW! I command you!


	2. Death by a Purp

Whoo! New chapter! I'm really starting to get into this story. After a horrible 3 hour drive with my parents (we got two flats...Not one TWO! AHHHH!) I finally think I got the second chapter worked out in my freaky little head. Well let's see!

Disclaimer: Disney owns all the cool crap that I didn't make up. I own all the cool crap that I did make up.

(God I really need to work on these disclaimer thingys!)

&

Dilly Durns yawned very loudly as she buttered her toast.

"Another sleepless night then?" Melusina Greene questioned her friend.

"You have no idea." It was the third night in a row that her roommate had kept her up. "If she keeps me up one more time with her stupid crying I swear" Dilly made a twisting motion with her napkin and ripped it in two.

"Aww, common, give her a break. She must be feeling terribly awful over that boy." It was just like Melusina to defend all sides. It was part of what Dilly admired in her friend.

Dilly and Melusina's dorm rooms were right across the hall from each other. The two had become friends a couple of years ago when Dilly had gone mad from her bathroom-hogging roommate and asked if she could use Mel's.

"Awful," Dilly said hotly, "I'm the one who feels awful. Plus Etta deserves it. You should have seen all the guys she'd kicked to the curb. She gets bored of one pretty face and then dumps it. If you ask me," Dilly cut into a purp sourly, "she's just sore because this time she got dumped."

"Yeah, I suppose your right" Melusina, after all, had met Etta Bellini. The 4th year girl was popular, beautiful, and in Dilly's own words 'a bitch and a half'. Being dumped must have been a huge blow to an ego like that.

"Least I only got one more year with her. Then I get some new kid."

"Hope you get some new exchange student. First years are awful," said Melusina sighed. "Lucy always brings friends in when I'm trying to do homework. It makes it incredibly hard to concentrate."

Dilly had to smile at her friend. Good grades were everything to Melusina. She was always trying to make the top scores on everything. ("Its what we Merish do!" she had explained). And Melusina was purebred Merish.

This explained her high-test average as well as her good looks. Merish people were known for their stunning, cut-from-glass faces and long greenish-blond hair. Both of which Melusina owned, yet did not flaunt as some girls did. Usually she wore her hair tightly pulled back and preferred eye glasses rather then lenses.

Just then Jim Hawkins and JJ Double entered the hall. Dilly waved to them and they made their way over to her table.

"Morning ladies," JJ cooed as he slid into the seat across from Melusina. "Beautiful day," he said brightly.

"Says who?" Dilly shot back.

"Well somebody's a little testy this morning," said Jim as he sat down next to JJ. "Etta still keeping you up?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Meh, but hey, here's some good news. Tonight's the last tutoring session."

Dilly blinked. He was right; tonight was the last one. It had been a whole month since that afternoon when they were both called to Bagdonnas's office. She was really glad her and Jim had become friends outside of the sessions. Melusina was great, but it was nice to have someone around that she could trade sarcastic comments with.

Then there was JJ. He was really fun to be around. Dilly was glad Jim had introduced them. Plus she was sure there was sparks going on between JJ and Melusina.

She turned to her friend to see her giggling at one of JJ's jokes. Melusina always lightened up more when JJ was around.

"So when's your range test," she asked turning back to Jim. The shooting section of weapons class was coming to an end. Creed (who's foot had recovered, but held an annoying large grudge according to Jim) had informed his classes that they would be taking a 2-hour long shooting and then written test to gauge if they passed that part of the course. Those who don't pass, he had threatened, would be forced into remedial shooting instead of moving onto swords.

"Tomorrow," replied Jim through a mouth of eggs. "I really need help with the long distance if I'm gonna pass."

"DURNS?" Called a small feline like boy. He held several letters and a large package in his hands and was looking around the dining hall. "DELILAH DURNS?"

"Over here," Dilly said waving to the first year. It was the their job to distribute the mail each morning. Dilly had hated that part of her first year. She had been assigned Wednesdays. So every third day of the week she had had to run around the hall, passing out letters, before she could sit down and eat.

The boy scrambled over, nearly dropping the package, and tossed a letter over to Dilly. "LAURENT? STEFAN LAURENT?"

"Hum." Dilly mumbled scanning the letter.

"What," asked JJ curiously.

"Nothing, just my uncle's new plot to kill someone." Dilly had been sent a letter by her Uncle Otto, an acclaimed murder mystery author. Dilly had lived with him most of her life but had never seen him more desperate before. His last book, "Death in her Eyes", had been a critical success. Meaning the critics simply adored it, but not enough normal people bought it to pay the bills. Ever since, Uncle Ot had been sending her daily letters filled with ridiculous plot lines, asking her opinion. "I think he may be losing it."

"Let me see," said Jim taking the letter from Dilly. "Death by a Purp," he snorted. "He's definitely lost it."

Jim handed the letter back to Dilly as the first bell rung, signaling that they had ten minutes to get to their first period class.

"I'll see you guys later," she said getting up. "Sims will have my head if I'm late again." Sims was her Arithmetic Professor. He had threatened multiple detentions if she was tardy once more.

As Dilly made her ways down the hall she thought about the letter. Uncle Otto would be awaiting an answer. But how do you tell someone their ideas were getting worse?

&

That's all for now. I know its like 10 billion words shorter than my last chapter but hey, I don't really feel like writing more tonight. I just wanted to show how Dilly, Jim, JJ, and Melusina have all become friends. Now that I have set the stage, so to speak, I can begin adding in the actual plot. Actually I put I little important detail in the first chapter but many of you may not be able to pick it out till later. Don't worry! Soon the title will make sense!

Here's a little fun fact for you though. I had a really hard time trying to think up a good name for Dilly's friend. So I tried concentrating on how she might look and came up with merish (WHAHA! Merish! As in mermaids!) That's when I named her Melusina after a mermaid from French folklore. Her last name Greene is from the obituaries.


	3. Interruptions and spacegrams

Wow. I've been trying to get my plot together over the last couple of weeks. I had to change everything I was gonna do because what I had before just wound up sounding stupid. Luckily the first 2 chapters work for the new plot, and let me tell y'all, its gonna be awesome! Oh yeah! Go me with my little murder mystery/romance fanfic. Don't worry though, Dilly and Jim won't die. That would just be really dumb.

Anyway it took me 2 hotpockets and a few runs to get this chappie up so you all better like it.

And if you wanna go see movies this summer go see the Devil wears prada. I Know it looks like a super chick flick but its pretty funny. I love Nigel "do you know that cellulite is a main ingredient in corn chowder?" okay on with the fic!

Disclaimer: all the stuff that I don't own I don't own.

&

Jim was getting impatient. Where was she?

He looked at his watch and frowned. 3:26 PM. The last bell had wrung over 20 minutes ago.

Jim was standing alone on the shooting range waiting for his tutor to show up. It wasn't like Dilly to blow him off.

Since they had begun these sessions Dilly had showed up on time for everyone. Bagdonnas had made it perfectly clear that she would throw her back in detention if she didn't.

Plus, the two of them always had fun together. Jim was disappointed this was the last one. He liked spending time alone with Dilly. Did he maybe, sort of, _like_ her? Nah... they were just friends. He liked spending time with his friend.

He looked back down at his watch. 3:29. Tired of waiting Jim decided to go see what was up.

He trudged over to the supply shed and set the guns he had taken out earlier back on their hooks. He didn't want to leave them out in case someone tampered with them. The last thing he needed was for some first year to shoot himself and them get blamed for that to.

Jim stopped after he had shut the shed door and looked around the courtyard.

The academy was shaped like a giant triangle. The shooting range, where Jim stood, was located in the west corner. Directly across from the dinning hall. In between was a large stretch of gardens filled with winding pathways, monuments, and fountains.

Deciding Dilly might be in the dining hall Jim started the walk towards the furthest building. To get there faster he ignored the zigzagging walkways and instead stomped through the grasses and flowers. After all he didn't see any professors around to yell at him.

Jim did, however, trample past a group of first year girls who were giggling loudly at a holo-magazine. The giggled even louder when they saw Jim look at them strangely. He vaguely wondered if he had been like that when he was a first year. He hoped not...

After a few minutes of unintentionally destroying the Academy's manicured gardens, Jim finally reached the entrance to the Dinning Hall. He pulled one of the heavy oak doors open and stuck his head in, looking about the room.

Various students of different ages and species filled the room. Some where doing homework, some where simply chatting, others were merely pouring them selves glasses of purp juice from the pitchers set on each table.

One thing Jim had always loved about the Academy was its food. It wasn't as good as his mother's, but it was a very close second. Plus it was made fresh every night and was free with tuition, or in Jim's case, scholarship.

Scanning the room Jim found no trace of his tutor, though he did spot Melusina and JJ. They were seated at the end of the last of the 12 long tables that filled the hall, near a group of second years, chatting.

Well JJ was chatting. Melusina was immersed in a large textbook. Jim wouldn't have even know it was her (her face was hidden) except for the neat, greenish-blond ponytail that stuck over the top of the book.

Jim walked over and slumped down next to her.

"Jim?" She said putting down her book so that she could look at him. "How come your here? I thought you had tutoring with Dilly."

"Yeah so did I."

Both Melusina and JJ looked at him confused.

"She never showed. I waited for like 20 minutes. You guys know where she is?"

Melusina shook her head. JJ was halfway through shaking his when he stopped.

"Oh wait, Yeah I do."

Jim raised a dark eyebrow at his friend. "Well?"

"I almost forgot."

"We know that."

"Last period she got called out for some space-gram or something. Lucky kid got to miss the last 15 minutes of Bah's lecture," he added enviously.

JJ and Dilly had last period Galactic History together. According to them the Cremation who taught it, Professor Bah, could put you in a coma from boredom.

"Alright," said Jim getting up again, "I guess I'll go check her dorm then."

He said goodbye to his friends, telling them he'd see them later at dinner, and exited the dinning hall.

He really hoped Dilly was in her dorm as he made his way across the school once more. After this he didn't know where else to look.

&

Luckily, in her dorm, is where Jim found her. Well, most of her anyway.

Only her lower body from the waist down was visible when Jim walked in through the open door and closed it softly behind him. The top half of her was forced interlay under one of the beds. Jim could hear rummaging sounds and figured she must be looking for something.

Crouching down on the floor he grabbed her ankles and pulled her out. He heard a muffled "what the-" before her face appeared. He hair was messy and hung wildly around her face, but she smiled brightly up at him when she saw who had dragged her out.

"Oh. Hi Jim."

"Hullo, brilliant day outside. Not much of a day to spend holed up under beds, as fun as that may be. I myself was just about to head over to the shooting range. Care to join me?" He asked, lathering his words with boyish charm.

"Well I'd love to, but I can't." She smiled as she watched Jim frown slightly. "You see there's this guy. And he seems to be pinning me to the ground at the moment. See, look." She wiggled her body up a bit from the floor until her noise brushed Jim's. "Can't hardly move," she said letting herself plop back down.

"Aww, that's to bad," Jim whispered with mock sadness. He leaned in closer to Dilly, locking his blue eyes on her green ones. Their faces were only an inch apart now. "I would have really liked to-"

WAM! The door flew open with incredible speed. "OUT OF ALL THE NO-GOOD, STNKING, LOWLIFE THINGS- whoa."

Dilly's roommate stood in the open doorway staring at the scene in front of her. She smirked as the two sprang away from each other as if their loins were on fire. "Getting a little close aren't we?"

At first Jim thought the older girl was wearing a piloting helmet. Then he realized it was her hair. He didn't even want to estimate how much gel and hairspray it took to make it stay that slick and round. **(a/n; does that sound wrong to you?)**

She seemed to have altered her uniform so that the shirt and jacket fit very snugly and the skirt was quite a few inches shorter then normal.

Jim felt himself go red. Ignoring her question he stared at what was in her hand. "Your not suppose to be smoking in here," he said lamely.

"I'm Eighteen." –puff- "I'm legal." Even under all the make-up Jim could read the smug expression on her face.

"Your still not suppose to smoking on Academy grounds." He didn't care how stupid he sounded. At this moment her hated the girl standing in the doorway.

"And your not suppose to be climbing all over my roommate" -puff- "on Academy grounds."

"Oh shut the hell up Etta," Dilly huffed. "I can do whatever I want in _my_ dorm room. And whatever I choose to do" – she straitened herself and took a couple of menacing steps toward Etta- "is my own business. Whether that includes eating, sleeping, doing my homework, or having Jim sit on top of me, it's my own business. Not yours. Mine. So you can stop pretending like you something you can hold against me because you don't."

For a second Jim thought Etta was going to punch Dilly. Thankfully she didn't, but instead elbowed past her and was about to make her way to the bathroom in the corner of the dorm.

"Oh and Etta?" The helmet-haired girl turned back to Dilly. "Yes, I did empty you mascara in you book bag. That's why you came storming in here, no? Let it be a warning. Keep. Your. Crap. Out. Of. My. Sink. Now," Dilly continued as she grabbed Jim's wrist and pulled him toward the door. "Jim and I gotta go shoot stuff. So I'll see you later. Buh-bye!"

Before Jim walked out of the room he turned back to Etta. "It was fabulous meeting you," he said giving her a mock bow. "Have a smashing day!"

&

"At last" Jim thought as he and Dilly reached the doors that lead out of the dorm hallway. After the scene they had all made back in the room people had been poking their heads out and staring at them as the walked by, trying desperately to get a look. Dilly had reacted by yelling (what the hell are you people looking at?) but Jim just wanted to get out of there.

After what seemed like an eternity the two made it outside into the garden. And to Jim's dislike were walking on the stupid winding path. For a while they were silent. Just thinking about what had happened, or better yet Jim thought bitterly, what almost happened. Would he have another chance? Another chance with what he told him self. They were just friends right? Then why did he want to be so close to her?

Ugh. To confusing. Better think about something else.

Finally he broke the silence. "Umm... Dill?"

"Yeah." It was nice to see that she was smiling.

"JJ said you got a space-gram?" Her face fell so fast he wasn't sure if she had ever been smiling at all. She dug into her jacket pocket and produced a crumpled piece of paper. "Here." She said handing it over to Jim.

Jim silently read it as he walked in the late afternoon light.

TO: MISS DELILAH DURNS,

INTERSTELLOR ACADEMY, THANATOS, ERATO GALLAXY

FROM: MR. OTTO STERLING,

POST STATION 118734, CERBERUS, ERATO GALLAXY

DILLY. LOST APARTMENT. RENT OVERDUE. LANDLADY IS AN ASS. LOOKING FOR INN TO STAY AT. DO NOT WORRY. PLEASE SEND YOUR COPY OF MURDER THROUGH ITS TEETH. MISPLACED MINE. KEEP SAFE. LOVE YOU. U.OTTO.

Dilly had been watching Jim as he read the note. "I love the 'not to worry part'," she said bitterly. "I'm getting thrown out of our apartment, but oh please! Don't worry!"

"So you were looking for "Murder through its teeth" when I came in?"

"Yeah. Never found it either."

"Well that makes sense." Dilly looked up at him. Jim just shook his head laughed. "You lent it to me remember? A couple of weeks ago. You said it was one of the best books you uncle ever wrote."

"So was I right?"

"Yup, how come he wants you to send it to him?"

"He probably just wants to review the plot," she said as they walked around a monument to the old spacer Tomas Morgan who discovered the Clio galaxy. "You know to see if he left anything untied at the end that would make a nice sequel."

"Oh." Was all Jim could say. The book had been really good. It was about a guy who killed his victims with snakes, but he would hide them in all kinds of impossible places and then lead people to their unsuspecting deaths. Jim had stayed up all night to figure out how Inspector Shy, the hero detective, would solve the case, thus earning himself a D on his navigation test the next morning.

Dilly's voice brought him back to reality. –"I don't know what he's gonna do about staying in a Inn, though. I mean, he doesn't have any money. How's he gonna afford it? And he can't stay with my grandparents; they live in the next galaxy over. How's he gonna pay for a ride over there? And we really don't have many family friends. I mean I guess we-"

"Dilly, DILLY!" Finally she stopped babbling and looked at him. "Its okay. I have the solution."

"Really."

"That's right."

"Well?"

"He could stay at mom's inn. Free of charge. No, don't look at me like that, I'm serious. She's read most of his books, I'm sure she'd love to have him."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. I'll see if I can Space-gram her tonight. Plus," he looked at the piece of paper still in his hand, "He's on Cerberus, one of Montressor's moons right?" Dilly nodded. Well Captain Doppler"-

"Who?"

"She's a family friend. She's been doing some work over on Cerberus ever since she had kids. She can probably even give him a lift over to the Benbow. Then he wouldn't even have to pay for a transport."

Jim looked down at Dilly. It was hard to read the expression on her face. She seemed to be thinking it over as she chewed her bottom lip.

"Plus, school lets out in a few days for fall break." He continued. "I have to take the early morning transport to Nemesis then the afternoon one to Dionysus where I think my mom is making B.E.N. meet me, then that one will take me all the way to Montressor. Your welcome to come along."

"Jim." She stopped walking and looked straight into his eyes. "Thanks. I really, really mean it."

&

Okay. Wow it really took me FOREVER to belt out that chapter so there better be people out there reading this.

WHAHAHAHA! Little Jim/dilly action going on in there for you. Trying to show you all that this was correctly classified as a Romance/Mystery fic. As for the Mystery I already added a little bit in there. It Very Very important that Dilly is Staying with Jim over Fall break. All goes along with my new an improved plot that I've been thinking about so much. While I'm thinking about the plot let me just share one little thing with you: You will NOT know why this story has this particular name until the very last chapters.

One last little note: All the planets Ijust named are from Greek mythology. You can read about them here if your interested http/edweb. why did I do this? Well our planet names (mars, Jupiter) are named after Roman gods, so I kinda just went with the theme. Plus Greek mythology has some awesome names!

Now r&r. I beg of you!


End file.
